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Williams Valley, Pine Grove headed to state title games

Teams play Friday for PIAA gold at State College

Monday, June 12
PIAA Class A Semifinals
Williams Valley 9, Meyersdale 5
BELLEFONTE — Williams Valley used seven runs in the first inning to pull away from Meyersdale and punch their ticket for a return to the PIAA Class A State Championship game.
Seven hits and seven runs punctuated the inning when Williams Valley sent 12 batters to the plate, led by Kali Whitcomb having two hits in the frame.
Morgan Updegrove and Autumn Calnon also had two hits in the game. Since the offense took care of itself, the team went on defense for ace Stevie Unger, who bent but didn’t break as she allowed five runs in the game while striking out seven and walking five, winning her 17th game of the season.
Williams Valley will see a familiar foe in State College as they take on the District Seven champion West Greene, the Vikings opponent is last year’s final, with the game on Friday at 11 a.m. at Nittany Lion Softball Park.
Meyersdale — 030 002 0 — 5 11 2
Williams Valley — 710 001 x — 9 15 0
W — Unger. L — Deakins.
Hits: Meyersdale — Cerreta 2, McKenzie, Miller, Leonard 2, K. Kretchman, Deakins 2, Haer. Williams Valley — Whitcomb 2, Pinchorski, Achenbach, Updegrove 2, Calnon 2, K. Ferron 4, Neiman, Bordner, Hoffman.
2B — Calnon, Ferron. HR — Leonard.
PIAA Class AAA Semifinals
Pine Grove 10, Mid-Valley 6
WILKES-BARRE — One year ago, Pine Grove fell one game short of playing in the Class AA championship game. With the new classifications, the Cardinals moved up in class, but kept their game intact.
The challenge in the higher classification paid off as Pine Grove defeated Mid Valley to reach Friday’s state championship game against South Park at 4 p.m. at Nittany Lion Softball Park on the campus of Penn State University.
After spotting Mid Valley a 1-0 lead in the first, Pine Grove broke the game open in the third with five runs. two of them coming on a single from Caitlyn Becher, then Faith Sleva cleared the loaded bases with a double, putting the Cardinals up 5-1.
After Mid Valley closed the gap to 5-3, Pine Grove came up with another five runs, four of them coming on a play that saw Kate Rittenbaugh hit a shot to center field that scored two runners but with the over throw going into the Pine Grove dugout, the umpires cleared the bases and put Pine Grove up 10-3.
Mid Valley added runs in the sixth and seventh but pitcher Liv Lehman was impressive on the mound, striking out eight and walking one to win her 22nd of the season and reach Friday’s championship game.
Mid Valley — 100 201 2 — 6 11 1
Pine Grove — 005 050 x — 10 11 3
W — L. Lehman. L — Mitchko.
Hits: Mid Valley — Jason 2, Mills 3, Pawelski, Harrington 2, Morano, Mitchko, N. Kalinoski. Pine Grove — Rittenbaugh 3, Kaufman 3, Becher, Nagle 3, Sleva.
2B — Harrington, Mitchko, Rittenbaugh, Kaufman, Sleva.
Thursday, June 8
PIAA Class A Quarterfinals
Williams Valley 6, Northeast Bradford 2
TURBOTVILLE — The familiar formula worked for Williams Valley, great pitching plus timely hitting with some good base running means victory
After spotting Northeast Bradford a 1-0 lead in top of the first, Williams Valley took over scoring two in the bottom half of the inning on Autumn Calnon’s two-run double that scored Kali Whitcomb and Mya Achenbach. Whitcomb got an RBI of her own in the second with the safety squeeze bunt scored Maddy Bordner.
Kenna Ferron and Jamie Neiman also had RBIs in the game, giving a nice cushion for pitcher Stevie Unger to work from the mound, striking out six and allowing nine hits, as Northeast Bradford didn’t score again until the seventh inning.
The win put Williams Valley in the June 12 semifinals against the District V champion Meyersdale, who defeated Glendale 15-2.
Northeast Bradford — 100 000 1 — 2 9 1
Williams Valley — 211 020 x — 6 8 0
W — Unger. L — Slater.
Hits: Northeast Bradford — Slater, Brown 2, Williams 2, Wheaton 2, Boardman. Williams Valley — Whitcomb, Pinchorski, Achenbach, Updegrove, Calnon, Ferron, Neiman, Bordner.
2B — Updegrove, Calnon, Bordner.
PIAA Class AAA Quarterfinal
Pine Grove 17, Dock Mennonite 3, 5 inn.
ALLENTOWN — The Lady Cardinals scored in every inning to come away with the victory over Dock Mennonite Academy, reaching the state semifinals for the second straight year.
Pine Grove scored 17 runs on 13 hits, five of them for extra bases including catcher Trish Kopinetz’s two solo home runs in the game.
Kopinetz and pitcher Liv Lehman led the team with three hits each while Faith Sleva added two of her own, a pair of doubles.
Liv Lehman won game 21 of her pitching season, striking out four and walking none in the win. Pine Grove now moves on to take on the District II champion, Mid Valley, in the semifinals.
Pine Grove — 214 54 — 17 13 1
Dock Mennonite — 200 10 — 3 3 3
W — L. Lehman. L — Gordon.
Hits: Pine Grove — Rittenbaugh, Kopinetz 3, Becher, L. Lehman 3, Hasenauer, Sleva 2, M. Lehman, Hindman. Dock Mennonite — Beck, Bolton 2.
2B — Sleva 2, L. Lehman, Beck. 3B — L. Lehman. HR — Kopinetz 2, Bolton.